Lionel Washington neared the end of his induction speech for the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame when he looked down from a podium inside a banquet room at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and set his eyes on Leonard Fournette.

"You're someone very, very special," Washington said to the incoming LSU freshman running back Saturday. "You have what it takes to play at the next level, and the next level, and the next level."

On a night when the Allstate Sugar Bowl committee added five new members to the Hall of Fame, and honored several other high school and college athletes and coaches, plenty of focus went to the 6-foot-1, 225-pound running back from St. Augustine.

Fournette became the first high school athlete to receive the Corbett Award, presented annually to the state's top amateur athlete since 1967, following a football season after which he was named the USA Today national offensive player of the year.

Fournette, regarded by several recruiting services as the nation's top running back, rushed for 1,792 yards and 16 touchdowns to help St. Aug to a 9-2 record as a senior. Over four years as a starter, Fournette totaled 7,619 rushing yards and 88 touchdowns, making him among the nation's most sought-after players.

Fournette, who received the award at the end of the 1-hour, 45-minute ceremony, stood atop the podium in a form-fitting black suit with a white shirt, a patterned charcoal tie and black shoes. He showed genuine emotion, wiping away tears as he thanked his mother and father. He said he hoped he set a good example for younger brother Lanard, who will be a senior receiver at St. Aug this season.

"When my mother told me I was the first high school athlete to receive the award, I was like, 'Oh, man.' I was excited," Fournette said before the award ceremony. "That was something that I can put in my trophy case with the rest of my trophies."

In a brief video shown after Washington -- a former Lutcher and Tulane standout who played 15 NFL seasons as a defensive back -- shared his praise, Fournette was compared to current Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson.

The person who presented the award to Fournette noted that 14 Corbett winners later played in the NFL. Among those recent LSU football players were 2012 award winner Morris Claiborne and 2011 winner Patrick Peterson, both top-six NFL draft picks.

Fournette will enter college having been tabbed by all-time LSU rushing leader Kevin Faulk as the player he expects to break his records.

And Fournette, in a show of his usual modesty, downplayed those comparisons and expectations by saying "I haven't played a down of football yet." However, of Faulk, Fournette said he is "trying to get to where he's at."

"I'm still a freshman," he added.

Fournette is due to report to LSU with the rest of his teammates at 1 p.m. Sunday for the start of preseason practices.